Logitech Deluxe Access Keyboard - Basic But User Friendly
Written: Nov 03 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Inexpensive, sturdy, comfortable.
Cons: Almost impossible to clean the keys, two Windows hot keys.
The Bottom Line: I was pleasantly surprised when I started using this keyboard. It doesn't have a ton of non-standard features but it sure works like a champ!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Logitech Deluxe (967055-0403) Keyboard |
My old keyboard was like a good friend. It was always there when I needed it, never let me down when I needed it most and took my use and abuse like a trooper. After over a year of service a few of the keys started to stick, the “A” and “M” keys needed a very hard poke in order to work, several of the keys were missing their letters and thanks to a ferret that shall remain nameless – three of the keys on the numeric keypad mysteriously vanished. These keys were later recovered under the couch with small, itty bitty teeth marks in them and would no longer fit back into their assigned spots on the numeric pad.
When I could no longer stand having to jab the “A” and “M” keys and deal with the sticking keys I headed to Best Buy to start the searching process. Price was of no real concern to me since I knew that keyboard that was waiting for me at home was in the $80.00 - $100.00 range. I wanted all the same features [CD controls, volume control, sleep, screen saver etc] and I knew that wouldn’t be cheap. All that went in the trash when my cellular phone rang and my son told me that the keyboard had officially died. He restarted the computer several times, wiggled the cord, smacked it around and still – it did nothing. All my wants and desires had to take a backseat to finding something within the next fifteen minutes. The store was closing and there was no way I was going to go twelve hours without internet access – even if I knew I wouldn’t be getting on the computer until the next afternoon – I still want the option to be able to log on if I want to.
Logitech Deluxe Access Keyboard
So far this keyboard has put up with a lot of use. Between writing reviews for Epinions, general internet surfing, the brood using it for their educational endeavors and all the furry creatures that run across it – it’s doing just fine. This wasn’t exactly the keyboard that I was looking for when I set out on my quest to find a new one but now that I have gotten used to it – it seems like a waste of money to go out and buy another one just to have all the bells and whistles the former keyboard had.
The layout of the keyboard is the same as almost all others on the market today. It has the standard format alphabetic key, numeric pad to the right, directional arrow keys, F1 – F12 section, isolated escape key and the nine functional keys that include the print screen function, insert, delete, page up and down, scroll lock etc. This keyboard also has two Windows hot keys that bring up the Windows 98 program screen [that’s the version I am running, yours may be different]. I found these keys to be a complete waste since the only time I use them is when the computer freezes on me and nothing else will allow me to get to the control screen to shut down or restart the computer. But still, do you really need two of them?
Like almost all other keyboards this has two positionable legs on the underside of the unit. These can be locked in the upright position for easier typing or in the down position if you like to have the keyboard on your lap or laying flat. These are extremely sturdy – once they are locked into place you won’t find them collapsing on you – which is good thing since I am what you call a “heavy typer”. You can literally stand outside my door and hear me pounding away on the keys – so even with my heavy fingers – the legs stay firmly in place. There are two small felt pads on the underside that keep the keyboard from sliding around and these too are extremely sturdy. You really have it give it a good nudge in order to move it which makes it pain when you are trying to position it to the ‘sweet spot’ [the perfect position for your hands] but once you get it there – it’s there until you decide to move it.
The keyboard does come with a wrist rest but I never use them so it went in the trash with the box. I didn’t recall seeing one by my son assured me that there was one in the box. Other items that were included but were never used – the 6 pin to 5 pin converter. Since I am computer moron I tossed this in the junk drawer incase it was ever needed and now that I need it [for this review] it’s no where to be found. It’s just nice to know that the connector does come with the keyboard in case it is needed by anyone.
Web Mail Search
These are three keys located above the directional arrows to the right of the alphabetic keys. Using the iTouch software [provided] you can set up these keys to access your email accounts, go directly to the internet or surf the web. I experienced a lot of errors after installing the software for these functions and never got to use these keys so I have little to say about them. If you need help installing the software or support after the install the Logitech website is extremely helpful. From the website you can also download the software needed for these keys as well as a few other perks.
As I said, I had a lot of errors when installing the software as well as when I tried to set up the functions. I am not sure if these errors were from the software, a misconfigured computer system or my internet provider. I haven’t found anyone that has this keyboard to get information on how well these features work so if you have this keyboard and use these key commands, please leave a comment about them.
The F Keys Get Your Minds Out of The Gutter
The F keys that rest at the top of the keyboard were of little use to me until I sat down one day and stated to play around with them. I am sure that there was a booklet that came with the keyboard [that I completely ignored] that explained the functions of these little puppies – but as usual I figured I’d just wing it. After a few wrong turns and more than a few errors, I finally found out what each and every key was for. Since I have just recently started using these keys and most for use with Internet Explorer and Word, I’ll list the functions of this keyboard with these two tools. Some of the keys don’t seem to do anything – and that doesn’t mean that they are non functional, just that I haven’t figured out what they are supposed to be used for.
F1
Word: Opens Microsoft Word Help menu to the right hand side of the screen.
Internet Explorer: Opens the Help menu for Internet Explorer to the right hand side of the page.
F2
Word: No specified use.
Internet Explorer: No specified use.
F3
Word: This is for use with the Auto Text Entry program. Unless you have information stored, this is a totally useless key.
Internet Explorer: Opens the Find File program.
F4
Word: This inserts the last line of text that you typed. Great if you accidentally erase a sentence during editing.
Internet Explorer: Allows you to see the history of sites you have been to via the IE command box.
F5
Word: This opens the Find and Replace box for editing.
Internet Explorer: Refreshes the current page.
F6
No known use with Word programs but when used with an internet browser it highlights the internet address window allowing you to copy the information.
F7
Word: Opens the Spelling and Grammar program within Word and offers suggestions for the highlighted word. If no word is selected it will use the word closest to the cursor.
Internet Explorer: No specified use.
F8
Word: While I am not 100% sure how this is used - when F8 is clicked it starts the highlighting process used in cutting and pasting information.
Internet Explorer: No specified use.
F9
Word: No specified use.
Internet Explorer: No specified use.
F10
Word: Oddly, makes the cursor stop blinking.
Internet Explorer: No specified use.
F11
Word: Resizes page to full screen, click again to return to the previous window size.
Internet Explorer: Resizes page to full screen, click again to return to the previous window size.
F12
Word: Opens the Save box and allows you to save your Word document without having to access the pull down scroll at the top of the page.
Internet Explorer: No specified use.
These keys may have different functions depending on which programs you use them with, the version of a program you are running or the internet browser you are using. I’ve only included this information as a general guide as to what they can be used for, if yours have different features or if you know what some of these keys might be used for if I listed them as having no specified use, please feel free to leave a comment about it.
The Bottom Line
I picked this up on sale at Best Buy for $9.99 and haven’t regretted it since. It will never be able to replace my old keyboard that had every button, gadget and gizmo imaginable but it has held up to an incredible amount of use and abuse with absolutely no complaints. I highly recommend this for people who need a sturdy, dependable keyboard that will stand up to a lot of use – without having to fork out a small fortune.
If you are shopping for this over the internet don’t go by the photos that are listed. Some of the sites show this without the three gray buttons [internet, mail, search keys] and others are showing one with a row of buttons about the F series of keys [that is the Deluxe Internet Browser model]. If you are stumped make sure you ask the site before you order – its better to send out a few emails than to have to return it and possibly get his with a restocking fee – or worse – get stuck with a keyboard you absolutely hate.
Since there is no photo of this keyboard listed at the site, you can view it using this link - http://www.logitech.com/lang/images/0/136.gif
For more information on this keyboard please visit the Logitech website at www.logitech.com.
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2002 Freak369
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): see above
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